Julie London (born Julie Peck,[1]Gayle Peck[2] or Nancy Peck (sources differ); September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American nightclub, jazz and pop singer, film and television actress and a former pinup model, whose career spanned five decades of television. She was noted for her smoky, sensual husky voice and languid demeanor. She released 32 albums of pop and jazz standards during the 1950s and 1960s, with her signature song being the classic "Cry Me a River", which she introduced in 1955. She had also appeared as a guest on several talk shows and as a panelist on numerous game shows.

An only child,[3] London was born on September 26, 1926, in Santa Rosa, California, the daughter of Jack and Josephine Peck, who were a vaudeville song-and-dance team.[4] In 1929, when she was 3 years old, her family moved to San Bernardino, California, where she made her début singing professionally on her parents' radio program.[5] In 1941, when she was 14, the family moved to Hollywood, California. Shortly after that, she began appearing in films. She graduated from the Hollywood Professional School in 1945.

London began singing (under the name Gayle Peck) in public in her teens before appearing in film. She was discovered by talent agentSue Carol (wife of actor Alan Ladd), while working as an elevator operator. Her early film career did not include any singing roles.

London recorded 32 albums in a career that began in 1955 with a live performance at the 881 Club in Los Angeles.[6]Billboard named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957. She was the subject of a 1957 Life cover article in which she was quoted as saying, "It's only a thimbleful of a voice, and I have to use it close to the microphone. But it is a kind of oversmoked voice, and it automatically sounds intimate."[7]

London's début recordings were for the Bethlehem Records label. While shopping for a record deal, she recorded four tracks that would later be included on the compilation album Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1955. Bobby Troup backed London on the album. London recorded the standards "Don't Worry About Me", "Motherless Child", "A Foggy Day", and "You're Blasé".

Though primarily remembered as a singer, London also made more than 20 films. Her widely regarded beauty and poise (she was a pin-up girl prized by GIs during World War II) contrasted strongly with her pedestrian appearance and streetwise acting technique (much parodied by impersonators). One of her strongest performances came in Man of the West (1958), starring Gary Cooper and directed by Anthony Mann, in which her character, the film's only woman, is abused and humiliated by an outlawgang.[10]

She remained close with ex-husband Jack Webb, who in 1972 cast London and Troup for starring roles in the TV series Emergency!, on which he served as executive producer. London played Rampart General Hospital's, Chief Nurse of the Emergency Room, Dixie McCall, while Troup had the role of emergency room physician Dr.Joe Early. They also appeared in an episode of the Webb-produced series Adam-12, reprising their roles. The on-screen camaraderie between London, Troup, Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe (who played paramedics Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto) carried over into real-life. They remained good friends after the series came to a close.[13]

In 1977, after a six-year run of 128 episodes, Emergency! was put on hiatus, despite good ratings. London, the only actress to appear in every episode of the series, was invited back for two of four movie specials, before the show ended for good in 1979. Afterward, Webb proposed making London an executive producer of possible TV projects, but instead she retired from Hollywood to spend more time with her family.

In 1947, London married actor Jack Webb (of Dragnet fame). This pairing arose from their common love of jazz.[14] They had two daughters, Stacy and Lisa Webb. London and Webb divorced in 1954. Daughter Stacy Webb died in a traffic accident in 1996.[1]

In 1959, London married jazz composer and musician Bobby Troup; and they remained married until his death, in 1999. They had one daughter, Kelly Troup, who died in 2002, and twin sons, Jody and Reese Troup. Jody Troup died in 2010.[15][16] London was also the stepmother of Cynthia and Ronne Troup, Bobby's daughters from his marriage to Cynthia Hare; they are both entertainers.[citation needed]

A private and introverted woman,[17][18] London, who had been a chain smoker since 16, suffered a stroke in 1995, and was in poor health until her death on October 18, 2000 (the day her husband, Bobby Troup, would have been 82), in Encino, California, at age 74.[19][20][21] London was interred next to Troup in the Courts of Remembrance, Columbarium of Providence, at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.[22] Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording is at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.